For the third straight day, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the London-area is below 100.
The Middlesex London Health Unit reported 74 new infections on Tuesday. While it is a slight increase over Monday's 69 confirmed cases, it is in line with a downward trend that began on Sunday. The first half of April saw daily infections soar with 13 days of triple-digit case counts.
The region's total number of cases since the pandemic began is now 9,381.
Of Tuesday's cases, most were identified in London. One case each was confirmed in Middlesex Centre and Strathroy-Caradoc.
There were no additional COVID-19 related deaths recorded locally, the first time in three days no one has succumbed to the virus. The death toll is unchanged at 195.
Another 99 cases have been identified as variants of concern for a total of 1,169. There are 202 that have tested positive for a mutation.
There were 119 recoveries logged over the past 24 hours to bring the total number of resolved cases to 8,122. Currently, there are 1,064 active cases in the city and county.
Outbreaks continue at one local health care facility, six schools, two daycare centres, and eight Western University residences.
The London Health Sciences Centre has a record 86 patients with COVID-19 in its care, 38 of whom are listed in intensive care. Hospital officials confirmed Monday that 33 of the COVID-19 patients admitted have been transferred in from harder hit regions of the province. Due to the increased demand, LHSC has opened 18 new critical care beds over the past week - eight at Victoria Hospital and ten at University Hospital. There are nine staffers who have tested positive for the virus.
In Elgin and Oxford counties, there was a significant drop in new infections and one additional death reported on Tuesday. Southwestern Public Health, the health unit for the region, said there were 12 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 57 Monday. That brings the total caseload since last spring to 3,209. The death toll is up to 73. Resolved cases rose to 2,954 with 182 known active cases in the two counties remaining. Roughly 15.4 per cent of area residents have had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 1.9 per cent have received both doses.
Ontario’s daily case count slid back below 4,000 as hospitalizations from the virus reached a record high.
Public health officials logged 3,469 new infections across the province on Tuesday. That’s down from 4,447 on Monday and 4,250 on Sunday.
Toronto had the province’s highest daily number of cases with 1,074, that was followed by Peel with 775, York Region with 406, Durham with 256, and Ottawa with 197.
Ontario has confirmed 2,697 more cases of the variant first discovered in the U.K., known as B.1.1.7, for a total of 39,276. The number of cases of the variant first associated with South Africa, known as B.1.351. is up one to 105. The number of cases involving the variant first found in Brazil, known as P.1. were unchanged at 211.
Ontario total case count since the start of the pandemic now stands at 424,911.
There were 22 additional deaths reported over the past 24 hours. The provincial death toll is now 7,757.
There are currently 2,360 people with COVID-19 being treated at Ontario hospitals. That is the most people to be hospitalized with the virus in the province since the pandemic began. COVID-19 related admissions to the intensive care unit are also at an all-time high with 773 people being treated there. There are 537 people on ventilators.
The number of resolved cases rose to 374,213. There are currently 42,941 active cases of the virus in Ontario.
In the last 24 hour period, 40,596 COVID -19 tests were processed. That is down from 42,873 the previous day and brings the province positivity rate to 10 per cent.
To date, the province has administered 3,995,187 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 347,000 people having received both shots required to be fully inoculated.